Musical-notation indicator



1. (JOHN...

' MUSICAL NOTATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5 1916.

1 328,7 1 8. Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1.

5 lave W601, I

J. 0mm.

MUSICAL NOTATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5. I916.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I/E/i ATTORNEY.

J. COHN.

MUSICAL NOTATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1916.

Patented Jan.20,1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

J. COHN.

MUSICAL NOTATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5. 1916..

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

:fl] ::ID I Y III III ""II II """I" Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

J OHANNA (JOHN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MUSICAL-NOTATION INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Application filed December 5, 1916. Serial No. 135,149.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHANXA Conn, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Xew York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical-NotationIndicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical instructors and the method of usingthe same whereby certain mechanicatmeans are connected with the keys ofa piano or other instrument so that the pupil may combine with the soundof the note certain movements or indications by corresponding visualcharacters. These. characters may be pointers, fingers or similardevices or may consist of printed or painted objects or figures, eachcorresponding with a note or sound in order to associate the two in themind of the student and constitute an instantaneous sight reading andear training method so necessary in the kindergarten stage of musicalinstruction,. all of which will be more fully described in the followingspecification,'set forth in the claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein 2 Figure 1 is a plan view of part of akey board with the G note indicatorsthrown down.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of part of a key board with indicatorswhich areto be thrown down from above.

Fig. 4.- is a sectional view through the box containing the same. t

Fig. 5 is an end view of the box.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of part of a piano key board with a chartupon which the note is exhibited as the key is struck.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the same.

Fig. 8 is a modification of the attaching means for the note displayer.

Fig. 9 shows how the notes may be hinged to a rod or line.

Fig. 10 shows how the note may be adapted to slide along the rod.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of part of a key board with a chart havingnotes and in dicators to be displayed when the keys are struck.

Fig. 12 is a detail showing the note with its name and sound indicatedand to be automatically displayed with the pointer.

A preferred form of the device is a box 20 containing a series oflongitudinal bars 21 each elevated or stepped above its front bar androtatable. Each bar also carries designating fingers 22 to correspondwith notes of the same name through a plurality of octaves and has alever 23 to rock it. In Fig. 1 the fingers of the C note are thrown downshowing the pupil the location of this note on the whole key board. Tofurther identify these fingers 22their levers 23 are marked with somedevice the first letter in whose name corresponds with the letter of thenote. For instance the A note lever is marked with an apple, and the Bnote with a boy, the D note with a dog and the same with the balance ofthe seven notes and in order that the fingers 23 may all locate directlyon the keys it is necessary for some of them to be off-set as at 24according to the location of their respective bars above the level ofthe keys.

The location of these indicating fingers need not be limited to thefront of the key board but the box 25 shown in Fig. 3 may be located atthe back ofthe keys and the designating fingers 26 carried by bars 27,each'bar having a crank arm 28 at its end. A single lever 29 is pivotedat this end of the box and has an arm 30 carrying a link 31 with a hook32 at its end to engage the crank arm 28 of any one of the bars 27 tothrow down the fingers indicating a certain note. As shown in Fig. 5 thelever 29 is connected with the A note indicators and is arranged tothrow them down along the key board. The fingers 26 may also be providedwith some distinctive object as above described for 23 to connect thesound of the note with some visible object.

In order to combine the operation of the key with the display of thecorresponding note on the staff, the means shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8,'isused and consists of a series of stems 10 hingedto a back or base at 11and having a collar 12 to prevent its dropping through the sleeve whichconstitutes the hinge. A spring 13 and stop at limit each stem to anormal edge exposure and they are rotated by the bell-crank levers 45,one arm of which plays against a flange 16 at the lower end of the stemwhile the other end is connected with tine of the keys by means of alink a7, and when a key is struck, as shown in Fig. 6, the note isexhibited on the staff. In Fig. 7 the lower end of the link 47 is shownpinned in the socket 18 of the kev but where the device is to betemporarily applied to a piano the rod 47 may be carried by a metalstrip 49 with a hooked end 50 to fit over the bead at the front end ofthe key and requires no attaching means which would mar the instrument.

As a useful means for also exhibiting the notes, the lines 33 may havehinged to them the notes 51 and by this simple construction they may beturned edgewise, to be unobservable, or turned flat to show the note aswill be seen in Fig. 9, A modification of the above will be seen in Fig.10 where wircs may be used for the lines of the stall and sleeves 50 beadapted to slide thereon so that the notes may be appropriately located.The notes 57 are hinged to thesev sleeves and are adapted to bedisplayed when properly located.

A simple means of indicating the key to be struck to identify a certainnote is shown in Fig. 11 where the stem of the note is hinged to a boardat 53 and has an indicator 54 at its lower end and when the note andindicators are turned the equivalent key is pointed to. The stem 55 oithe note also shown in Fig. 12 is hinged and has wings 56 and 57connected by a cord 58 running through an eye 59 so that when the stemand indicator are turned and exhibited, the cord also opens the wing 56and the name and letter of the note is shown.

It is obvious that various other means for associating the work of theeyes and ears and at the same time exciting an interest in the study ofmusic, especially in young people, may be adopted and embraced in thescope oi the appended claims. It is also a well. known fact thatchildrens senses are quickly attracted by moving objects so as toassociate moving designators with the note and both will be quickly anddeeply impressed upon the youthful mind.

WVhat I claim as new is:

1. In a musical indicator, the combination with portable supportingmeans adapted to be located adjacent the keys of a musical instrument,of pivoted indicators representing keys and their notes and adapted tobe moved in and out of display, and means for displaying and associatingthe in dicators with their respective keys sychronously with theoperation of the latter.

2. In a musical indicator, the combination with portable supportingmeans adapted to be located in front of a musical instrument andadjacent its keys, of pivoted indicators representing the notes of theinstrument and movable on the supporting means close to the keys, andactuators connecting the keys with the indicators to operate the latterand have them correspond with the notes and sounds when the keys arestruck.

3. In a musical indicator, the combination of a chart adapted to belocated adjacent the keys of a musical instrument and having a musicalstaff, stems with heads representing notes and normally hinged edgewiseon the chartand the heads appropriately located adjacent the staff, armsat the lower ends of the stems, bell crank levers operating the arms,and means connecting each of the levers with a key so that a note isindi cated on the staff when the corresponding key is struck.

at. In a musical indicator, the combination of a detachable portablesupporting means adapted to be located above the keys of a musicalinstrument, pivoted indicators on the supporting means representing eachkey of the instrument and each indicator adapted when its correspondingkey is struck to be actuated so that the sensations of sound, sight andtouch are simultaneously expcrienced by the operator, and actuatingmeans connecting each key with an indicator.

Signed at New York, in the county 01 New York, and State of New York,this 1st day of December A. D. 1916.

' JOHANNA COI-IN.

